KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The "Black Panther" movie is a must-see event for a Kansas City engineer at Burns and McDonnell and a Sports Host at 610-Radio in Kansas City.
Engineer Matthew Oates and Radio Host Carrington Harrison decided elementary students in Kansas City should see the first major superhero film with a black character in the title role. So they put together a GoFundMe campaign and it worked.
In 24 hours, they had $6,000 which will cover the cost of tickets for 500 elementary students to see the movie at Alamo DraftHouse Cinema next Wednesday and Thursday and enjoy Gates Bar-B-Q for lunch.
"We want these students to see themselves in a lead role on the screen," said Oates.
The free tickets are also a reward for students in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade. Students at Whittier, Hale Cook, Pitcher and the Third and Long Foundation were chosen by Oates and Carrington to see the movie. The elementary students scored high on their state tests.
"We should reward students for their good performance and let them know we see what they're doing and what teachers and staff are doing," Oates explained
Students at Hale Cooke Elementary said they are excited to see Black Panther and they thanked everyone involved in helping make their dream a reality.
